Sharing hunting enthusiasm

[Magnus]

Good afternoon/evening folks,

I feel blessed to say I've been able to scout some big time Bucks and Does in the last couple of days which has me really excited for the late season. I'm a new hunter and i shared my enthusiasm with a some people in a public setting, unfortunately, I didn't realize hunting bothers alot of people i guess? Does anyone else share their hunting enthusiasm and subsequently get bashed for being a hunter and wanting to kill innocent animals? I got lectured about how i don't need meat and how most people who butcher things are overweight and unhappy..  Should I just not share my enthusiasm with anyone if people are going to get hostile about hunting? Its great to get into the outdoors, but I felt like i was at school again and having teachers and classmates yell at me for defending President Trump... I feel like I cant win these days finding like minded folks, sharing enthusiasm or finding a culture to fit in. Does anyone else have similar experiences out there?

Thanks,
Magnus

[Bushcraft]

Do not curb your enthusiasm!

Whenever you are confronted with anti-hunting fools, be tactful, truthful, factual, fun, informative and persuasive.

Be prepared with some responses (to largely uninformed and ignorant hostilities) that will lead them down the path of becoming informed and far less judgmental of hunters and hunting.

Not everyone can or should be a hunter, but no one should be casting dispersions on such a key tool for effective and sustainable science-based management of our wild things and wild places.

Hang in there!

[b0bbyg]

Do not curb your enthusiasm!

Whenever you are confronted with anti-hunting fools, be tactful, truthful, factual, fun, informative and persuasive.

Be prepared with some responses (to largely uninformed and ignorant hostilities) that will lead them down the path of becoming informed and far less judgmental of hunters and hunting.

Not everyone can or should be a hunter, but no one should be casting dispersions on such a key tool for effective and sustainable science-based management of our wild things and wild places.

Hang in there!

There are some that will get upset and have a hostile reaction, that is mostly their issue and not yours. Don't suppress your opinion just make sure you are ready to explain your passion without escalating the issue. Most of these folks that want to yell/preach/lecture to you are looking for a fight  when they don't get one sometimes the listen and learn something new.

[Bluemoon]

Just because they are offended dosen't mean they are right.

[archerykraze]

I just tell them I like my food organic. Wild game has no preservatives, glue or any other harmful additives you may find in the local grocery store. I'm noticing more and more nonhunters taking an interest in wild game meat with this new health craze for natural food.

[huntnfmly]

Never curb your enthusiasm always be proud you're a Hunter.

[elksnout]

I make no excuses. I'm proud to be a lawful hunter. Ironically I get asked as much about my hunts from non-hunters as hunters themselves.

Elksnout

[Skyvalhunter]

By all means share your enthusiasm. I talk about it alot with people at work. I tell them why I hunt and why I like it. There's always going to be those that turn their nose up which is there choice. I like to think it also educates them and be more tolerable if they are on the fence about hunting. I tend to gravitate to those that do hunt and share many stories even with those that don't close by. It's a passion and if they can't understand that then so be it.

[Sutherland]

  everyone has been absolutely right on! I grew up hunting from a young kid. My father passed along all his knowledge which he learned from his father and so on down to me. We grew up on a farm and always taking care of ourselves. There were times when my father was growing up where they would only eat of the land. A large family and weren't able to buy fancy grocery store steaks for the whole family. Eating deer and elk was a way of life. I'm so glad I was raised the way that I was to apriciate every kill that I have ever been blessed with. For these reasons I will never let  meat go to waste. So for those non hunters out there it's there life choice, I won't judge them any different. But don't judge me for taking care of my family and providing meat so we can make it through the winter and be great ful to be healthy and enjoy many seasons of hunting to come. Yet again this is just my  and I am very proud of being a hunter.

[Bango skank]

Ironically I get asked as much about my hunts from non-hunters as hunters themselves.

Elksnout

Id say more.  The guys i work with that dont hunt always seem to ask more about it, and i never get flipped any *censored* either.  Cooked up some bear stew for the crew this trip and it got inhaled, should have brought more.  One of the guys sounds like he wants to come over for a bear hunt next august now.

[pianoman9701]

I've had many conversations with people who don't understand hunting and many have ended quite well. Don't bother with trying to convince vegans - waste of time. Things to say:

*I can tell how much you love wild animals and that's a wonderful thing. I love wild animals and work to keep their numbers abundant through my dollars and volunteer hours working on habitat restoration and conservation.
*When I kill a wild animal, I'm much more humane than the rest of nature when it kills. Disease, broken bones, old age, starvation, and predators can all mean a lengthy and horribly painful death. I practice shooting year around to make sure my shot is quick and lethal and the animal doesn't suffer.
*The meat I eat has no hormones, antibiotics, or steroids in it.
*The animals I kill have lived free-range for their entire lives, not in filthy pens with little or no exercise.
*Keep in mind that even vegetarians are responsible for the deaths of many wild animals. Birds, mice, rabbits, and deer are all routinely killed by the harvesters which harvest grains and vegetables. Not to mention the fertilizers and chemicals that are used on the land and crops. The life of a mouse or a bird is no less important than that of a deer or an elk.
*And because I harvested the animal myself instead of buying a neat and clean package of meat in a store, my meals mean so much more to my family and me, as a result. I know the animal I killed. I took great care to make full use of every bit of meat and it's organs. It's actually connects my family and me to the food we eat.

[lokidog]

You can also discuss the life of a cow versus the life of a deer or elk, at least with those non-hunters that eat meat. I have yet to have a person say they would prefer to be a cow that was killed for eating over a deer/elk. 

[Magnus]

Well gee thanks y’all! I feel much better hearing everybody’s stories. I just couldn’t believe how hostile this guy was being about how awful hunting is. There is something special about being in the outdoors where few others go! I don’t think I’m a killer because I want to provide healthy meat for my wife and son. I appreciate the uplifting thoughts because it keeps me climbing back on the saddle and riding the pony to fill those tags!

[Cab]

Never be scared to say you are a hunter that said you will get push back from some and a lot of times you get people that are curious. Use the info in this thread to have CIVIL talks with people. I think hunters get upset when people challenge them because to us it's not about the kill it's the memories and moments we will keep forever. You couldn't pay me any amount of money to replace the moments I've had with my dad, brother and close friends in the woods, they are priceless to me as I am sure they are for other hunters. a couple points I like to use:

My all time favorite line to use is this: I hunt because my goal is never to buy a piece of meat from a grocery store again or at least a whole year without buying meat. This almost always stops vegans or vegetarians in their tracks. It shocks them and they often really respect this idea. I also say that if I'm going to eat meat I want to be the one responsible to kill the animal and not pay someone else to do it for me.

- 90-95% of my tags and permits go right back into preserving the land and the animals that are living on it. That means hunters fund wild life biologist, game wardens and many national park jobs. This benefits everyone especially the animals.
-Hunters pay an 11% tax on all our goods for conservation this generates roughly 8m dollars a day from just hunting clothing alone. No other outdoor industry or company is even close.
-I tell people that for me the worst part of hunting is killing the animal, I take no pleasure in killing the animals but it is a part of what is needed to benefit from the all natural, free range, non-gmo feed, fair chase meat that it provides.
-letting people know there are strict rules, guide lines and seasons because you would be shocked how few people don't know there are actual seasons.
-the ave elk hunter in WA kills 1 elk every 10ish years and a deer roughly 1 every 4 years(depending on unit odds). We don't do this because it's easy or because we are going to be successful every time we go out. We give our time, effort not to mention the money we put into this sport so that we can have these memories, the meat is always a bonus.
-Listen to Steven Rnella talk about this issue he does a wonderful job framing these arguments especially his video where he talks to a vegan who is hostile but ends up respecting Steve in the end.

It shocked people I worked with that I don't expect to be successful every time I go out, they thought it was easy, they thought you bag an animal every time. People that are against hunting are completely clueless so being that person that helps them understand this sport can be very helpful as they now know someone. Do not preach or lecture people have a conversation and if the other person won't then don't waste your time. Anti-hunters run on emotions not facts.

[pianoman9701]

Well gee thanks y’all! I feel much better hearing everybody’s stories. I just couldn’t believe how hostile this guy was being about how awful hunting is. There is something special about being in the outdoors where few others go! I don’t think I’m a killer because I want to provide healthy meat for my wife and son. I appreciate the uplifting thoughts because it keeps me climbing back on the saddle and riding the pony to fill those tags!

Sounds like this guy is a hoser who buys big macs and thinks nothing of the food he eats. Don't engage hosers.

[Cab]

Well gee thanks y’all! I feel much better hearing everybody’s stories. I just couldn’t believe how hostile this guy was being about how awful hunting is. There is something special about being in the outdoors where few others go! I don’t think I’m a killer because I want to provide healthy meat for my wife and son. I appreciate the uplifting thoughts because it keeps me climbing back on the saddle and riding the pony to fill those tags!

Sounds like this guy is a hoser who buys big macs and thinks nothing of the food he eats. Don't engage hosers.

bet the guy wears leather shoes, belts and has a leather interior in his car and doesn't even think twice.

[Colville]

When you hunt, seek what's true and honest.  If you seek validation, you'll miss everything important.